Shot, Stabbed, and Burned
by Vheeri The Succubus
Summary: Sora has gone through a lot as a warrior of the Keyblade. And as a warrior, there was no getting around being injured. Rated for graphic themes. No pairings.
1. Sliced

A/N: Second day of classes here and now I can use a computer to pass the time between classes. I need to make a resume too but I don't know how _

Anyway, my other-newer Kingdom Hearts stories will be updated in due time. This little oneshot/drabble- whatever I decide it to be has just been on my mind for a while. Though I think it may end up being multiple chapters anyway.

I really didn't want this under M, but there was no way of writing this without going into explicit detail. Whoopsy daisy.

POSSIBLE SPOILERS FOR KH3D… just a warning. I don't know what I'll write so I'll just put this here and now.

Sliced

Sora shuddered at the thought of when he first met the Heartless. Those inky black creatures with yellow orbs for eyes, and claws as sharp as a sword. He didn't know anything about them except for the terrible feeling he got in his gut while around them. So, when one tore into his arm he was in for a painful awakening.

It wasn't as though he hadn't been cut before. Sora could recall nearly cutting his finger to the bone while trying to make his mother her favorite meal. Or the time he and Riku were making arts and crafts with Kairi, it was her idea, and Sora mishandled some scissors. It had hurt, but nothing could compare to having a large red line from his elbow to his wrist.

Maybe it was the shock and adrenaline that saved him because after about an hour of running, the pain finally began to set in, but by this time he had already poured a potion on the wound and all that remained had been an incredible throbbing on his arm.

Sora didn't know how long he was bleeding, but he did recall having a large portion of his shirt dyed red. In fact, there had been a lot of blood and he wasn't sure if the Heartless tracked him by his Keyblade or the trail alone.

Being a warrior meant having a few battle scars. In the stories he used to read that was a part of their appearance. An iconic line over the eye, or a cool X on their face seemed to be the most popular. He even wished he could have one to show off too.

Be careful what you wish for they said.

By the time Sora had _finally_ managed to rescue Kairi, he had his fair share, and none were as fancy or cool as the stories portrayed. Interrupted Cures meant botched jobs and splotches on his skin. Sometimes the scab would puff a little, or in some freak cases the wound would have to heal naturally which greatly impaired his mobility.

Saix, Leon, Auron, and Xigbar scared him. Or rather, they left Sora weary and uncomfortable. Something had to happen for them to get those scars, something painful. Xigbar's seemed more like insane burn marks. It was no wonder they all had a dangerous personality, because like him, something happened that left those probably still painful scars. Even if the physical pain wasn't there, the mental had to be.

Donald and Goofy repeatedly told him it was fine, and that appearances shouldn't matter and all that jazz. But they were animals with fur and feathers to cover their wounds. Sora only had a thin layer of skin and nearly nonexistent body hair.

Due to the nature of potions and cures, the pain didn't always go away either. Sure the wound would be mended, but after the heat of battle wore off, Sora felt as though he was eighty years older, and wanted to just take a long nap. Being asleep for a year didn't exactly help either. It only made his body stiff and it was like learning how to walk properly again.

After being reunited with his friends back home, he wasn't even sure if he wanted to ask Riku about his. It wasn't as though he had companions to heal him every step of the way, or someone to hug him when he was shivering from nightmares. He was alone, in darkness, and had to deal with the villains he saved for last on a daily basis.

Sometimes, Sora hated being the hero.


	2. Stabbed

A/N: Oh yeah, standard disclaimers apply. This will be a shorter one… or maybe the first would be the longest.

Stabbed

There was a certain element about being stabbed that makes it much worse than being cut. Cuts are quicker, and are usually hurt more after it's over. Stabs are painful through and through, literally.

Sora remembered the first time he was stabbed. It was by Leon. The same man he considered a great friend and irreplaceable comrade. The very night he was still running around in frenzy while lost in Traverse Town, he had challenged him and Sora had no choice but to accept. The man apparently didn't remember he was fighting a child who only wanted to go home and drove his gunblade right through his leg when he fell. The agony was unbelievable.

And that was why stabs were more painful that being cut. Sora felt the cold steel enter his leg and go nearly right through his thigh. It was a rapid thrust, but everything felt as though time slowed down. He could feel every nanosecond of the weapon being pulled from his body, along with the tissue and broken skin with it. Sora's intense screams were what led him to actually hesitate and stop. Leon healed him after that and didn't verbally apologize, but merely nodded with downcast eyes.

He was expecting some kind of great warrior, child or not. Yuffie was pretty much close to Sora's age, and was capable of killing anything with just a large shuriken and kunai if she needed them. Sora wasn't like her, and they both realized that a little bit too late.

It was from then on that Sora became highly alert when facing enemies with swords or anything like them.

Cloud's slab of metal called a sword was meant to destroy and defend. It also showed how he was an opponent willing to just knock you out, maybe with a concussion, instead of killing you. Sephiroth nearly gave him nightmares. That unreasonably long blade was meant to do more than stab. He could slice you open, or make a decoration from your guts with room to spare. Though Axel's chackrams had to be the worst. Though not a sword, if one of them came spinning Sora's way he'd forgo blocking and run altogether. He tried blocking in their first fight. Though he stopped one, another came from behind and dug right into his back with the force of a speeding truck. Sora was surprised it didn't tear a piece off of him.

It was obvious he was going easy on Sora because he called it back instead of finishing him there, writhing on the floor and struggling through his cards to heal.

Stab wounds were painful, and only the strongest cures managed to stop all the bleeding and leave only a light scar. Then again, Sora was positive it wasn't worse than being burned or beaten.


	3. Burned

A/N: Short, but hey, you can read my other crap!

Burned

It wasn't an uncommon thing to be burned. He burned himself on an iron, the stove, and once on the sand during a record breaking hot day. Everyone knew the usual feeling. A sharp pain followed by shivers, and that sting that never really goes away unless you have the relief of cold water or butter to ease the pain. But that didn't even compare to being burned by a spell.

Magic fire was meant to kill. It had a mind and purpose, not like the wild, unpredictable fires that started in homes or the concentrated tamed ones on stoves. When Donald cast a Firaga, the flames would swallow and destroy enemies whole. It targeted them and only them, and it didn't spread like a fire normally would while in a room full of paper and wood. It didn't instantly die either. It remained as long as the spell required. This was great for Sora, but a terrible thing when an enemy did the same to him.

Once again, Sora found himself good friends with someone who hurt him.

Axel was the cause of probably the most extreme pain he had ever felt. There was a funny thing about negative experiences that made them more memorable than something positive. When Sora finally regained his memories of Castle Oblivion, the first thing he did remember was Axel. He remembered those glowing emerald eyes meeting his, and lots of fire.

He remembered those spinning wheels of death being hurdled his way while _on_ _fire_. When he couldn't dodge in time, one of them would be awfully close and leave terrible second degree burns on his exposed skin. When Axel summoned a wall of flames, there was no other choice but to roll forward and hope for the best. What he hated most was when they were enclosed around him. His fighting style was broad and tended to be all over the place. If the man dodged, he'd end up unbearably close to the dancing flames that taunted him. Or maybe it was Axel's personality bleeding into them.

The flames from the heartless and other creatures were easier to deal with. They were smaller, slower, and could even be avoided by a common citizen.

Axel's flames were any size the man saw fit, instant, and even Sora had trouble with them.

After viewing his fight with Roxas, it was obvious he went easy on both of them, and even more so Roxas. How was it obvious?

He was actually fighting them.

The death of Vexen was enough. All he had to do was snap his fingers, or perhaps that was an added effect, to set them ablaze from the inside and walk away.

No cure could fix that.


End file.
